The American Dilemma
How Trump Is Fueling a Corona Disaster
Donald Trump’s disastrous crisis management has made the United States the new epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The country is facing an unprecedented economic crash. Are we witnessing the implosion of a superpower?
By DER SPIEGEL Staff
"... unlike in previous global crises, the U.S. is failing as a global leader. The country is currently too concerned with itself. Trump, as is so often the case, is trying to save himself by attacking the international organization that is supposed to coordinate the global fight against the crisis: the World Health Organization (WHO). He has threatened to defund the WHO because, he claims, it "blew it.”
During his inaugural speech in January 2017, Trump also said: "America will start winning again, winning like never before.” Now the U.S. has become the problem child in the global battle against the virus. While China and South Korea have stopped the spread of the contagion for the time being and parts of Europe are trying to slowly return to normality, the U.S. is setting one negative record after the other. No other country has as many infections, and the White House itself is predicting up to 240,000 deaths by fall. A study by the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis estimates that 47 million Americans will have lost their jobs by June.
Trump Played Crisis Down
The president played down and tried to suppress the crisis for months. He couldn’t decide whether to take the virus seriously or dismiss it as a pipe dream on the part of the Democratic Party. He seemed to view it as a ploy to keep him from getting re-elected.
Again and again, Trump’s advisers have had to bring him to his senses, but even that often doesn’t work. When the president announced a week ago Friday that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was going to recommend people wear masks in public, he immediately added that he wasn’t even considering wearing one himself. "I don’t see it for myself, I just don’t.” His comments certainly didn’t clear up any."
17 comments:
Shaw... one of the things that has hit me about the Covid numbers is this. We keep hearing that US has surpassed Italy, or Spain, or Germany, but perhaps we're missing the mark.
For example, the Germany/New York comparison is apt. It's a member state of Europe being compared to a member state of the US. I think as we compare our deaths here in the US, we should look to the totality of say... Europe. It's a better comparison.
However, no matter what the metric, I think we can all say the loss of 20000 Americans in essentially under a month is horrific. For all those folks who ask why we don't prohibit driving because 38000 ppl die annually, I'd say this. If that happened in a month, I bet ppl would be clamoring for something to be done.
Even the flu... yes, we lose about 50000 ppl a year. But we've lost almost 25000 in under a month.
For another view, here's how Mexico is viewing the US. They are scared to death. Seeing boxes of dead bodies in a mass grave in New York has been horrific. How they asked me, can Mexico survive if this is what is happening in the US, the world leader.
Confidence in our "American Exceptionalism" has been shaken as we have retreated from the world stage.
Sad...
This nation has many qualified capable leaders. Both in and outside of government. One only need look at the many governors and business leaders that have stepped up to meet this challenge and fill the leadership void created by Dotard.
No nation state in history that achieved great influence and power has ever been able to hold it forever. Not Rome, not the Persian Empire, not Portugal, Spain, France, the United Kindom, Germany, the Soviet Union, or the great Chineese dynaties. No one has. I've always believed that at some point in time the world will see the decline in US influence and power. Perhaps Dotard and the GOP will be the catalyst that will ultimately be responsible for our decline.
American Exceptionalism was essentially a creation of anglo saxon romanticism of the 19th century. While it is/was true to a degree we are certainly not the only exceptional nation to ever have existed. Having said that, America remains a better place to live and work than many. In spite of Dotard.
All any of us common folks can do really is Express our concerns by becoming involved in some small way and vote, vote, and vote. It is our right AND our responsibility if we really care about preserving that which has been our democratic republic. The exceptional thing about the USA is the form of government and checks and balances designed by our founders. Dotard is attempting to dismantle our greatest legacy as a nation.
RN: "The exceptional thing about the USA is the form of government and checks and balances designed by our founders. Dotard is attempting to dismantle our greatest legacy as a nation."
Well, I believed that, RN. But Trump has hollowed out the intelligence agencies to conform to his tyrannical rule, and he's also corrupted the office of the AG, placing a sychophant at the head. Just recently I read SoS Pompeo said this: "In November, Mr. Pompeo told a reporter for The New York Times Magazine that the Bible “informs everything I do.” I don't think I'm the only one who believe THE US CONSTITUTION should INFORM EVERYTHING he does (as a Secy. of State). I don't care what he does in his personal life. But Pompeo said "EVERYTHING I DO," which implies even doing his job!
We need to get rid of this whole sick gang in November.
Greg Sargent
@ThePlumLineGS
Trump wants to cut funding for the World Health Organization.
But Trump's own State Department still says on its website that this WHO funding is helping underwrite the global response to coronavirus -- and helps protect American lives.
Rev, you do know don't you that our population is many times what Europe is so it stands to reason we have more deaths just like the flu. When do you remember the media announcing daily the number of cases and deaths from seasonal flu. They are the ones making this a panic instead of a caution.
As to the WHO, where were they in this and why should we fund them without expectations of performance. We funded the paris climate accord with zero expectations from china and other nations who were leaders in pollution, why fund them without some expectations.
Exactly! It’s called the WORLD Health Organization for a reason.
skud, you really are showing your ignorance in this particular issue.
The H1N1 swine flu devastated the world population between April 12, 2009, and April 10, 2010, that ONE YEAR. The CDC estimated that from April 12, 2009 to April 10, 2010, there were 60.8 million H1N1 cases, with 274,304 hospitalizations and 12,469 deaths in the U.S. alone.
The US has DOUBLED THAT DEATH RATE IN ONLY ONE MONTH, 24,000 Americans have died in one month. Get that: ONE MONTH.
It may be instructional to look at the last major pandemic, the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009. This was caused by a virus from a different family of viruses than the current coronavirus outbreak. The coronavirus is a new, novel coronavirus that appears to have originated from bats before making the jump to humans. The “novel” part is important in that no one has been exposed to this specific virus before, meaning no one has built up immunity to it.
COVID-19 is not influenza, although it behaves in some ways like influenza. It is, instead, more accurately called a highly contagious viral pneumonia. In mild cases it results in few if any symptoms, such as cough and mild fever. In severe cases, it results in life-threatening pneumonia that can be fatal, particularly in the elderly, immunocompromised and individuals with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes.
SOURCE
Please read facts, and not b.s. from Trump, FAUX NOOZ, and the Mother Ship.
Ms Shaw, I realize you are an expert on all things virus but the flu, no matter the mutation, is a virus. N1H1, seasonal and Covid are all a virus. I did say JUST LIKE THE FLU not covid is the flu.
The FLU in 2019 killed 30,000 Americans and in 2015 56,000. We have never been equipped to effectively manage an epidemic. We can fight wars but can't fight infections.
You support continuation of funding the W.H.O. without any performance expectations. You also favored funding the paris accord without and performance expectations. I assume you felt this way because it was a feel good project. For those who are funding these corrupt and ineffective organizations with our tax dollars we have a difference of opinion.
Even Japan is questioning the W.H.O. so it is not just the US maybe in part due to the $192,000,000 the WHO spent on travel and couldn't find time to investigate China.
Creating panic solves few problems and in many cases is illegal like you can't yell fire in a theater unless there is one.
I get that the democrats and the media failed to get trump for three years and were so caught up in impeachment mania they had blinders on and so did trump. Neither saw anything else and look what happens when you have ineffective leadership in all three bodies, we all suffer.
Stay safe and mask up
Rev, you do know don't you that our population is many times what Europe is
There are 330 million people in the US and 750 million in Europe.
Even if you mean just the European Union, that has 450 million people, still substantially more than the US.
Infidel753 skud never checks facts, he just talks off the top of his head or parrots Trump, FAUX NOOZ, or any far right wing tower of babble.
skud: "For those who are funding these corrupt and ineffective organizations with our tax dollars we have a difference of opinion."
I stopped reading your comment at that point. You and your Trumper buddies fund a corrupt administration headed by a liar, cheat, and fraud.
That you don't get that basic fact and continue to point your finger at other oganizations instead of looking at what's going on under Trump shows us, once again, what devotion to a cult does to a person's ability to think rationally.
You stay safe as well.
Hey skud, have you seen this?
Right-wing groups have thrown their lot in with Trump on the issue of when and how to reopen the country. Oddly, for a party that casts itself as pro-life, the primary concern seems to be money. As The Post reported on Monday: “Multiple leading conservative advocacy groups plan to announce a joint coalition to demand the reopening of the U.S. economy despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, pushing for government authorities to loosen restrictions against the warnings of leading public health experts.”
'The frightful disregard for the lives of their fellow Americans is one more log on the altar of Trump’s cultism, wherein only the political survival of the leader is deemed critical. (That the Heritage Foundation, which fancies itself a think tank, should take up arms against scientific experts tells you a lot about the intellectual rot that has eaten away at the conservative movement.) It is not enough that this gang defends Trump’s unconstitutional conduct, his lies, his mishandling of the worst domestic crisis of a generation and his choices of unfit cronies to fill important jobs; now they feel compelled to join Trump in cheerleading for the economy over the lives of Americans...'
People who support Trump are now officially part of a DEATH CULT.
Please, everyone who comments here, the correct term for Trump supporters is now:
Trump Death Cult.
They support opening up the country even if it means the deaths of their fellow Americans.
This, may I point out, is what the "pro-life" Goopers are supporting.
I guess I am not part of the "Right-Wing" group because I will continue to observe social distancing for several months. From your point of view what they are proposing will reduce the ranks of the "Right-Wing".
We have different opinions of leadership, yours is to just play nice and mine is to get something done. Most leaders share common traits of ego, narcissism and inpatients and that is the why they get things done. Sniffer is not a leader to get things done but he will be the next president for six months.
No skud, I don't think so. All EFFECTIVE leaders I've worked with are intelligent, have the ability to extend empathy when warranted, utilize the expertise of those they rely on, give credit and recognition to those who have earned, feel RESPONSIBLE for the performance or lack of performance of their subordinates, and yes, they have egos, and tend to be impatient. While leades might have a degree of narcissism all goid and effective leaders CONTROL any narcissistic tendancies they might possess.
Unfortunately Dotard is severely lacking in ALL of the characteristic traits of a good and successful leader.
One final thing, a good and effective leader knows best how to MOTIVATE people to willingly and happily get the job done for the boss. For those who refuse to be motivated, well, the boss is as tough as nails AND fair at the same time.
Les, Jack Welch, Robert Crandall, Lee Iaococa were all great leaders because they believed they were right which is narcissism. I never heard them say hug me and like me because they had a job to do and that was run a successful business. I have worked for people who I did not like but I respected because they knew what they were doing.
I do understand how many people cannot work for someone who is not touchy/feelie and a general swell person.
We do have different work experiences but I do agree that effective leaders have empathy some just show it in different ways. Some like to help everyone and some just selective groups and some just want to win at all costs.
No skud, an executive believing he or she is right is NOT narcissism. It is called self confidence and yes, every good effective leader has an abundance of self confidence. Narcissism on the other hand is making EVERYTHIG about oneself and functioning accordingly. In other words every decision and action is predicated on the narcissists perception of what will make HIM or HERLOOK good.
A excellent leader always includes their key people and teams in the decision making process. They show respect, decency, guidance where necessary, they also hold their people responsible and accountable. But perhaps what is critical to their success is they are never stingy with giving recognition to OTHERS rather than taking all credit for themselves.
Credit naturally flows to the executive who motivates his people to accomplish great things for him. Then the excellent leader passes the credit on to his people who actually MADE THINGS HAPPEN.
There is a reason folks are called leaders and not drivers. People will readily follow a good leader. They will not follow a driver willingly nor will they give there best. It is the way it is skud. I know. I supervised and managed for over 37 years and I was trained by some of the best.
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